United Nations experts have found that Boeing 727 aircraft carried fighters, foreign mercenaries, drones and weapons for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, according to a draft report submitted to the Security Council and reviewed by Reuters.
The panel said it received reliable information from four sources: two eyewitnesses in Nyala, the RSF’s principal military and logistics hub in Darfur, and communications from two UN member states. The final report is expected to be published in September.
The findings concern three Boeing 727s that appeared in Chad from November 2024 and operated from the military section of N’Djamena airport. The panel said no movements by the aircraft had been officially logged after their arrival and suspected deliberate efforts to avoid detection while flying.
Between January and July 2026, multiple Boeing 727s and Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft landed in Nyala at night, the draft report said. Investigators concluded that the N’Djamena–Nyala air corridor was used to move personnel and military equipment into Darfur.
Reuters had previously traced aircraft operated by companies linked to former U.S. Special Forces soldier and government contractor Steven Shaulis to logistics hubs used by the RSF in Sudan, Libya and Somalia. Reuters said it found no evidence that Shaulis or his companies had been sanctioned or formally accused of wrongdoing.
Shaulis did not respond to questions about the draft UN report. A business partner previously denied that their company had any connection to the RSF and disputed reports that the aircraft had landed at RSF-linked locations.
Chad’s Civil Aviation Authority said the Boeing aircraft had no authorisation to operate from Chad, while noting that it did not manage military aviation or the systems responsible for tracking military flights. Chad’s foreign minister has said questions about the aircraft are covered by defence secrecy and that his country’s role in Sudan is diplomatic.
The draft report also described the role of Colombian mercenaries in the conflict. UN experts considered estimates of 1,500 to 2,000 personnel credible and said mercenaries hired by a UAE-based company operated drones and took part in planning during the siege and capture of al-Fashir.
The UAE mission to the United Nations said its authorities had investigated the company and found no involvement in mercenary activity in Sudan. The company itself did not respond to Reuters’ questions.
The findings remain part of a draft document under Security Council review. They add detail to an international investigation into possible violations of the Darfur arms embargo, but any allegation against a person or company must remain clearly distinguished from a formal legal finding.